ESET announces 2026 Cybersecurity Journalism Award winners

ESET has announced the winners of the 18th edition of its Cybersecurity Journalism Award, recognizing investigative reporting on digital risks and online scams in Latin America.

The top honor was awarded to Argentine journalists Florencia Ballarino and Rosario Marina from the outlet Chequeado. Their investigation, which uncovered a Facebook fraud network using celebrity figures like Lionel Messi and a fake investment platform called Evo Plata, received the highest global score from the jury. As part of their prize, the winners will attend the ESET World 2027 global cybersecurity conference in Tokyo, Japan.

Other category winners include:

• Digital Press: Camila de Lira (Fast Company Brasil) for reporting on illegal AI-generated pornography on Telegram. • Multimedia Press: Lilia Saúl Rodríguez (Aristegui Noticias) for investigating how organized crime in Mexico utilizes AI-driven cyber fraud. • Print Press: The team from Revista Época Negócios (Brazil) for their article on ‘Crime as a Service’.

Special regional mentions were also awarded to journalists in Brazil and Mexico for their work on data leaks and corporate digital risks.